HONG KONG 2004 - Housing

An elderly person who prefers to live alone can apply under the Single Elderly Persons Priority Scheme and be allocated a public rental flat within three years. The Government has pledged to reduce this waiting time to two years by 2005. Two or more elderly persons who are willing to live together may apply under the Elderly Persons Priority Scheme, and be allocated flats also within two years.

There are two priority schemes for public rental flats which encourage families to live with and take care of their elderly members. Applicants with elderly parents or dependent relatives aged 60 or above under the Families with Elderly Persons Priority Scheme are allocated flats within three years in advance of normal allocation in the district of their choice. Those who apply under the Special Scheme for Families with Elderly Persons for two separate flats in the same estate in the New Towns will be allocated their flats within two years ahead of normal allocation.

The HKHS has undertaken two projects, one in Tseung Kwan O and the other in Jordan Valley, under its Senior Citizen Residences Scheme (SEN), providing purpose-built housing with integrated health care facilities for senior citizens in the middle-income group. The units in the projects are leased to eligible senior citizens on a 'lease-for-life' basis, thereby providing security of tenure in line with the concepts of 'healthy ageing' and 'ageing in place'. The project in Tseung Kwan O was completed in August 2003 and that in Jordan Valley September 2004.

The number of squatters and squatter structures has been reduced in recent years through rehousing and clearance programmes. There are now approximately 215 400 people living in about 7 100 squatter structures in the urban areas and about 387 800 squatter structures in the New Territories. Squatter control is maintained by regular patrols and hut inspections. About 600 illegal structures and extensions were demolished during the year.

The Buildings Department has drawn up a seven-year clearance programme to clear 12 000 illegal rooftop structures on 4 500 single-staircase buildings. Rooftop dwellers are encouraged to register on the waiting list for public rental housing. Occupants affected by enforcement action against illegal rooftop structures will be rehoused to public rental housing, including interim housing, according to their eligibility. In 2004, about 2 800 people affected by rooftop clearance were relocated.

In 2004, the rehousing of some 360 households living in four domestic housing blocks at Shek Kip Mei Estate was completed. Since the launching of the HKHA's Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme in 1988, 535 housing blocks have been redeveloped to improve the living conditions of some 182 090 households.